A humor parenting blog with a focus on family travel and great things to do with kids in New York and New Jersey.

Friday, August 26, 2011

How I Prepared for Hurricane Irene: The Friday Edition

Today I continued with my pathetic attempts to prepare for Hurricane Irene. I began the day by reading a series of tweets about purchasing generators, as well as a slew of Facebook comments about buying camping lanterns.

I am not familiar with either generators or camping lanterns, but of course I wanted both of these items. Immediately.

A quick search online showed that apparently everyone else in the greater New Jersey area also wanted a generator and a camping lantern in advance of Hurricane Irene's arrival. I felt very in and with-it. Until I realized these people were actually in and with-in, and had purchased all available generators and camping lanterns, and even camping stoves, yesterday.

Oh well.

So moving on, I realized despite not having a generator or a camping lantern, or even a camping stove, and despite having stockpiled on Thursday copious amounts of toys, junk food and craft supplies... I didn't have any diapers. Or paper towels. So I went to Target with the rest of New Jersey. I enjoyed seeing eleven people I knew, but the 40 people in line in front of me I could have done without.

Home again from the Target odyssey, I spent the better part of the afternoon convincing my aged mother (who lives in Battery Park City) that staying the storm out in my lovely suburban home (admittedly with three very "Gramma! Gramma! Gramma!" grandchildren) was preferable to the public shelters of Manhattan (see photo above).

In the end, I convinced my momto stay here in New Jersey. She is concerned that she does have a library book, and it is due tomorrow.

Here's hoping everyone rides out the storm safely and soundly.

_________________________

Update: our cousin (who knows my mom too well) just called to ask, "So are you at a shelter?" and to tell my mom not to worry, she is sure the library will give her a grace period to return the library book. Thank Goodness for that.

5 comments:

I love that she is worried about her library book! (I think she can re-new it on-line.)

If the power goes out for five days, a camping stove might be necessary. But until then, you can make like a cowboy on the range and eat your beans from the can at room temperature. And then let every family member have his/her own space to vent the beans a few hours later. :)

I dunno...the nypl has a budget crunch and so they might send the book goons after her. renew on line, if you still have online...oh the hardships! Camp stove? Meh. Peanut butter, baby, peanut butter! Chocolate,also very good at any temperature. Ditto gin. Besides, if the electricity goes, you're going to want to use up the ice before it melts, right? More importantly: Have you charged the portable DVD player so that you can have cocktails in peace whilst small fry watch the telly? jokes aside, hope all are safe

Dang girl, after seeing all of this, I vote that you move out to the west coast. The ground occasionally shakes here. I think they're called earthquakes or something, but don't let that scare you. They're a piece of cake. I think.